Jingling of the Bells
by redcristal
Summary: After hardship what better way to celebrate … than New Years? Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Lord of the Rings/InuYasha crossover


**Jingling of the Bells**

(Christmas fic)

 **Disclaimer** : Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon, InuYasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi & everything to do with Lord of the Rings belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien.

 **Summary** : After hardship what better way to celebrate … than New Years?

 **Time Line:** All over the place for InuYasha and BtVS, for LOTR after Second Kinslaying.

 **Author's Note: The synopsis for back story of this fic is below.**

* * *

 _Romennor First Age 507 by Arda Reckoning_

 _Ake Hinode (Dawning Rising sun lands) Year 3_

It has been three years, well closer to four if one took into account year zero, since they arrived through that portal – and fortunately, they ' _landed_ ' on unpopulated land. The natives of the other continent called this land Rómenórë or Romennor or The Land of the Sun or Sun-Lands …she snorted; this place should be called the Land of Many, Many Names.

The people of Arda came in five races: Elves not at all like Santa's little helpers for one they were tall, and they didn't grow beards and had many names too. Then came the race of Men, Dwarfs, Ents – walking and talking trees, and finally Sprites.

The Valar and Maiar were in a different category, since they created this world.

There were also Giant Spiders – those were hunted down by the two of them, relentlessly – only Tōga could have prevented them from going, but he never did because Dawn was being a tattle tale. They were both grateful and annoyed by this – grateful, because they, thanks to Naraku, despised – hated - anything spider like, and grinding giant spiders to dust in any way imaginable was therapeutic in getting over the losses of their loved ones – because they may be alive **BUT** they were not their loved ones anymore.

Collectively, the people of Arda that had contact with, called them Romennor dwellers– since they were a mix of races: immortal humans, various kind of yōkai, Tentai, and mixed children – hanyō. They called the land they took as their own Ake Hinode.

This translated to dawning, rising sun... considering what their group went through when fighting Naraku, both times for the unlucky four of them, with Urakai and Glory – Glory was just insane and simple minded enough to believe that she was using Naraku to obtain The Key.

Lastly, Queen Urkai was one of the more vicious Oni Queens ever. But considering that she was thwarted in absorbing Kaguya-hime, the celestial maiden - on a not so funny side, Sesshōmaru and Kaguya-hime were together now – pissed off enough to join forces with Naraku, which should not come as a surprise.

She shook her head, her eyes trained on the shoreline as she continued her trip down memory line. Naraku had plans within plans and back up plans, plans that in the end cost the lives of first Kikyō, then Kaede, Kohaku, Sango, Shippo, Jaken, Rin, countless villagers, Kagome, and lastly Sesshōmaru.

The last ditch effort by the four surviving members of their group did something completely insane; they traveled back in time – a completely insane and desperate attempt, but it worked. They may have lost everything – InuYasha lost his chance to be with either Kagome or Kikyō; Buffy lost Sesshōmaru. Dawn lost her own boyfriend, and Kirara lost Sango.

But they were all alive and happy now, just not with those people.… Even now, when that future was averted, simply knowing that they all died hurt. It was worth it however; InuYasha had a father and mother still living – though when Inu was born Tōga and Izayoi named him Kiba this time around.

Later InuYasha commented how freaking weird it was to watch a version of himself grow up, fall in love – with Kikyō no less and get married … they were expecting a kid now. In fact, theirs would be the first that would be born in this new world.

Because things were **NOT** the exact same, for example, Miroku – the pervert monk was never born. The village of Yukai-exterminators was, probably, still going strong; Naraku had a brief existence but was destroyed by Kiba and Kikyō; Kagome did get through The Bone-Eater's Well into the Warining states era, but she was not carrying the Shikon jewel this time around, because they successfully dispatched it when they went back to Midoriko's time.

She hooked up with Kōga much to Ayame's sadness. InuYasha just shrugged at that development, and said that if he wanted to, he could beat the wolf boy into a bloody pulp – but he decided not to. Then Kagome brought her whole family her grandfather, her mother, and her little brother through the Higurashi shrine secret well, and later they all settled here on Ake Hinode with the rest of them.

Inuyasha, who started as a half human, half Inu-yōkai, was now far more yōkai than human but still very much Inuyasha. Even if he was a head taller than her now. Golden eyes, arching bushy black eyebrows – the only difference on his face were jagged blue markings that started from his temples and extended to each of his cheek bones. He still had long silver hair, but now it was tipped with black, and had furry dog ears – that look like _"five uncooked Chinese dumpling shells atop one another"_ as Kagome once said a lifetime ago.

Dawn said they looked more like cat ears. And he was quick to explode in temper, along with not much of patience, but he had grown wiser – something he and Tōga, she was learning, had in common, like father like son – so it really wasn't much of a surprise.

Kirara, the two tailed fire cat, was bigger now and not two tailed anymore; she had gained four tails and she could take human form now. She also had a mate and a litter of two tailed kittens. Dawn and Buffy herself didn't suffer many physical changes – unless one could count the length of their hair and the power levels of course and some other odd things – like immortality, thanks to Kaguya-hime and the other Celestial from the Moon.

"Thinking about the past?"

The sudden voice – as familiar as her own or her sister's but was still unexpected– made her jump and whirl around.

"InuYasha?!"

"No, I'm a talking puppet."

"Can you not sneak up on me? What if I had a weapon?"

"I would dodge." A smirk pulled his lips upwards, crinkling golden eyes in mirth. "besides I heal faster than you."

Buffy rolled her eyes; it was still fun though – the battle of words "I can do this better than you" that they occasionally had. "Considering how battered you get, you need it – I'm just faster in avoiding being hurt."

InuYasha turned his nose up. "Heh, keep telling yourself that."

Ohh wow, an invite for an argument– better change the subject, since Buffy had no intention of having any arguments today, no matter how much fun arguing with InuYasha was – the Half-elven twins did not need to witness a shouting match.

Eluréd and Elurín, the half elven, eight year old twins, and, as later they could tell them when the language barrier was gone, sons of Dior Eluchîl, son of Beren and Lúthien, and Dior's Elven wife, Nimloth – Eluréd and Elurín were still young enough to grow distressed when a fight broke out between InuYasha and her.

They were still traumatized by what happened to them two years ago - captured and abandoned by Celegorm's cruel servants in the forest to die and they would have, courtesy of the spiders – but as it happened, InuYasha and Buffy got in the mood to squash some Naraku-like spiders and came just in time to rescue the two children – that spoke the language neither of them understood. They took them home, not that they had any choice as the two silver haired, pointy eared children had clung to them like two ticks.

When they managed to understand the language the children spoke, the children spoke theirs in return, which was quicker - Buffy was called Naneth and InuYasha, Adar. The fact that that meant Mother and Father came as a shocking surprise and embarrassment to them both – and laughing fits all around from their family and friends. After that they stated to reach out for a trade …

Speaking of surprises.

"So is the surprise done?" Buffy asked then. There was shifting and secretive looks between Dawn, Kagome, and the children, as well as between Shippo and the other small kitsune's, Hana sister of Sesshōmaru, and Izayoi's daughter Mimiko, along with Eluréd and Elurín, who were silver haired and gray eyed so they hadn't stood out in the crowd at all. Anyhow, they had all been shifty and secretive for days now.

InuYasha raised an eyebrow but he didn't looked surprised. "So you know?"

"Kagome is not really subtle, and Dawn was being shifty all day."

"So do you have a present for me?"

"You know I do." He was bugging her about it ever since he saw her warping it. It didn't look too good as she – well, she wasn't exactly skilled in cloth gift wrapping yet.

"So..." he trailed off pointedly.

"What?" Buffy blinked up at InuYasha, innocent expression firmly in place.

"What is it?"

As usual, InuYasha had no boundaries, as he had gotten so close that their noses were a millimeter apart.

"I'm not telling you," Buffy sang but didn't pull back; she was too used of her friend's mannerism to be bothered by this.

"Aw, come on."

"Stop making puppy eyes, you dog-yōkai, I'm not telling you."

"Fine then, will I like it?"

"Possibly."

"It's not the Beads of Subjugation?"

Where did that come from – Kagome's beads were destroyed a lifetime ago; it was that or InuYasha would have drowned. Buffy would not let that happen so she destroyed the beads with Midoriko's sword.

"What? No ...I don't need beads and a word to slam your face to the ground."

She really hoped he'd like the gift though. She took to whittling, and from a branch made a back scratcher in the shape of dog as the handle.

"Wanna try?"

"Not today, no." Then she grabbed InuYasha under his arm, "come on, we are going inside, to see what this so called surprise is."

With that, they went hand in hand back inside and straight to the great hall, where a large spruce stood. It went right to the glass ceiling and had its large roots in the floor – how did they manage that in one day? On second thought, there were plant yōkai in their group.

"Hmm," Buffy hummed as she took in the decorations – some were painted pinecones and pastries – those were Kagome's and her mother's doing. There were also balls of foxfire floating between the branches and …

Buffy took a sharp intake of breath; beside her she could feel InuYasha tense in alarm.

"No danger," she breathed and InuYasha relaxed, but she could still only stare ahead.

There, under the foxfire that decorated Christmas tree, stood Joyce Summers. Or a ghost of her, since her mom had died …

"Mom?" Then she quickly glared at Dawn.

"Wasn't me," her sister said as she was looking in wonder at the ghost that was smiling at them both.

"It was this Sesshōmaru and Kaguya-hime," Sesshōmaru said, "it is only for three days and three nights, as this is when Sesshōmaru can call back a soul only once."

"Once will be enough," Buffy said, "thank you, Sesshōmaru."

The End

Back Story:

After Prophecy Girl, Buffy started to have dreams, it got so bad that she could not sleep. Giles growing concerned, suggested he and Buffy go to a sacred location in the desert so that she can undergo a vision quest.

Things don't go as Giles planed and Buffy's past life merges with present. This directly leads to student exchange (by Snyder) and Buffy stays at Higurashi shrine. Things develop from there. Dawn comes into existence, Glory and Naraku join forces. People die. Sesshōmaru and Buffy hook up. Kagome and InuYasha hook up. People die. Naraku absorbs Glory and Illyria. Kagome dies. Sesshōmaru dies. InuYasha, Buffy, Dawn, and Kilala travel back into the past before the Shikon Jewel is created. Naraku follows. In the end the good guys win. But Inu, Buffy, Dawn, and Kilala are stuck in that time. They are granted immortality by Celestial (or Tentai) beings for saving Princess Kaguya.

Sesshōmaru is aware that in pervius timeline they (Buffy/ Sesshōmaru) were together, and while he does not habor the same feelings this time around he respects and cares for Buffy (and his brother InuYasha – and Kiba who is this time line InuYasha).

Rin is not araound, since Sesshōmaru, newer meet her.

First time-line Sesshōmaru left **Tenseiga** with Buffy, and **I** _ **zanae**_ (Midoriko's sword) and **Tenseiga** merged together - became one sword.

InuYasha has Tessaiga - more or less unchanged from canon abilities.

Joyce Summers is killed by Glory in both time-lines.

Some time later most of Yōkai lead by Inu no Taishō (InuYasha & Sesshōmaru dad) moved to Arda through a portal opened by Dawn – or as she is called by then Hisui no Miko.


End file.
